'Bukkangi' stays put — and draws over 1 million visitors

More than 1 million people have visited Bukhang Waterfront Park in Busan to see Bukkangi, a shark living in the park's artificial waterway. According to the Busan Facilities Corporation, a total of about 1.0158 million visitors came to the park from Sept. 19 — the day after the shark was first spotted — through Monday. Even during the three-day Gaecheonjeol holiday, some 70,000 people visited each day, with about 90,000 turning out on Monday, the final day of the holiday.

Bukkangi is a roughly 3.5-meter broadnose sevengill shark first spotted in the North Port artificial waterway on Sept. 18. It quickly became a nationwide sensation, earning its nickname from its discovery at Bukhang (North Port). During the four-day Chuseok holiday, 468,000 people visited — and on Chuseok day itself, 136,000 visitors came, more than double the 67,000 who attended the 2026 Yeosu World Island Expo on the same day.

The economic ripple effects have been considerable. According to CU, sales at convenience stores near the waterfront park on Sept. 19 and 20 rose 48.6 percent compared with the same days the previous week, while sales of the shark-shaped "Jaws Bar" ice cream at stores in Dong-gu rose 54.7 percent from Sept. 19 to 27. Some media outlets have estimated the total economic impact — combining visitor spending, production effects and promotional value — at more than 30 billion won ($22.1 million). Locally, calls are growing for expanding tourism offerings such as new commercial districts to sustain the Bukkangi craze and drive broader revitalization of the North Port area.

However, the longer Bukkangi stays, the higher the public costs climb — from safety personnel to rescue operations. Busan city officials, the Korea Coast Guard and the National Institute of Fisheries Science have repeatedly tried to guide the shark back out to open water, without success. A first attempt on Sept. 29, using vessels and water pumps, fell through, and a second effort Friday using nets also failed, with Bukkangi returning to the waterway.

Authorities removed the nets installed during the second rescue attempt at around 4:20 p.m. Saturday and decided to wait for Bukkangi to leave on its own, without further intervention, to minimize stress to the animal. "We will continue monitoring Bukkangi's condition with the National Institute of Fisheries Science and draw up countermeasures if any abnormal signs appear," a Busan city official said. The fisheries institute plans to release its findings — including the shark's sex — and discuss additional measures.